


Mesmerized

by natblue_author



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Crime, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:51:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natblue_author/pseuds/natblue_author
Summary: They were black, black like the soul of the devil himself.When Gabe Ugliano is suddenly murdered, he leaves a huge debt after himself. A debt it's up to his family; Sally and her son Percy to pay. Percy is forced into silence to protect his mother, but when everything he believed in crumbles to dust he doesn't know what will happen. The answer is simple; sacrifices and lies.





	1. Prologue

It was close to midnight, and the faraway stars made the streets glow in an unnatural way. Dark shapes were hovering over the dim lights and made the silhouettes of the otherwise ordinary cars into roaring monsters. The apartments were towering over a rapidly moving shadow. A pudgy man walked at a fast pace, close to running. His eyes held a deep desperation and kept surveying his surroundings. His appearance - everything from his greasy brown hair, to his wild desperate eyes and grim mouth set in a tight line - suggested that something was very, very wrong.

The man came to a halt, and stared right ahead of him. In front of his eyes a figure released itself from the murky shadows.

The new arrival was clothed in a dark cape, not really black, more like the color of dried blood. In the fabric it looked like small, nearly invisible faces yelled in soundless screams of pain.

 _Trapped souls_ , the pudgy man thought with a shudder.

He watched his opponent warily. He was young, that much he could tell, even though the hood made the upper half of the other man's face lay in the dark. Ink black hair peaked out from under the hood, but except for that - the man was only shades and shadows.

"You try to escape?" asked the dark caped man amused, and eyed him with a smirk on his lips. The pudgy man was not fooled by his opponents apparent light tone. "You know how our lord feels about people going back on their promises, Gabe."

The pudgy man - Gabe - gave an involuntary hiss. "He ain't my lord, he knows nothing about me," he wheezed, and tried to catch his breath from his earlier run. His hand crawled to his back pocket. In there he had hidden a small knife. Not much against his opponent, he knew that. But maybe it would be enough for him to quickly stab the young man and make a run for it.

The black haired seemed to notice Gabe's hand too, because he frowned and then sighed deeply.

"You think you'll actually be able to overthrow me with that pathetic pocket knife?" He gave a snort of humorless laughter. "You're even dumber than you look like Gabe, and that says a lot."

Gabe was starting to panic. A heavy feeling was weighing down his chest. His breaths came in shallow gasps and all his instincts screamed at him to bolt and get the hell out of here. But he was paralyzed in fear.

"What do you know about me? I want nothing to do with him! Nothing!" He nearly screamed out the last word.

Nothing, it echoed through the streets.

"Nothing," the young man repeated. Gabe could feel his icy stare on his bare skin, and felt coldness run down his spine.

* * *

The cloaked man moved faster than any human eye could register. One moment he stood casually in front of Gabe, the next he had him pinned to the wall, an arm to Gabe's throat.

"Nothing," he repeated coldly once again and ignored the man's strangled chokes. "Is that so Gabe. I can not remember you asking for nothing," he spit out the word. "when you came running to my lord with request after request. Money, Gabe. You owe him a great deal of it."

He let go of Gabe, who slided down the wall and massaged his raw throat.

"Time," Gabe croaked. "Just give me time, that's all I need. If you could tell him-"

"Tell him what exactly?" the man interrupted, his voice loud and clear in the silent night. "Tell him that I helped the coward who owes him money? Tell him that I gave you time to manage to rescue your own pathetic skin while leaving your family without a second thought?" He gave a noise of disgust and directed a kick at Gabe. "You know what will happen to them Gabe? Do you have any idea what will happen to your family?"

Gabe only laid emotionless on the ground, not saying a word. Clearly that wasn't what the cloaked man wanted to receive. "Answer me!"

Gabe could barely move his lips because of the fear he felt. "No," he managed to mumble.

The young man drew closer to Gabe and said sweetly: "I'll tell you, Gabe. They will pay your debts, and if they don't, they will end up just like you."

* * *

Gabe lunged forward and threw his knife at the young man. The knife hit the man in the right shoulder and he gave out a small gasp of pain. Then he sighed and slowly said: "So you have made your choice Gabe."

Gabe didn't understand, and he had no intentions finding out what his opponent had meant. He scrambled up to his feet, ignored the throbbing sensation to his ribs where the man's kick had been directed and ran off.

"A chase," the cloaked man mumbled while watching the pudgy little man run as fast as his chubby legs could. "It's been too long since the last time."

The young man shrugged of his dark cloak and revealed a slim, muscular body, though his hood still covered his face. The man started to spin his shoulders in small circles to warm up his stiff muscles, ignoring that a small pool of glistening blood started to form at his feet. Before he took off, he retrieved the pocket knife from his right shoulder. He didn't care that it only made the blood pour faster out of the wound. It was only muscles, it would heal.

He searched for Gabe, and his expert eyes find him almost immediately. Still running, the man thought with amusement. "There's no need for me to waste my breath on that coward," he said to himself and considered his options.

Finally he took aim with the small knife and took a careful grip at the edge of the sharp blade. He tipped the knife backwards, only to tip it forward a few seconds later.

He let the knife fly.

* * *

When the blade hit its target a satisfying crunch was heard. Gabe fell with a scream of pain and fear. He knew death was coming, and coming soon.

The young man took his time walking to Gabe, safe in the knowledge that he wouldn't get anywhere.

"You won't kill me," Gabe whispered when the young man got in hear range. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked amused. "I've got no reason not to end your useless life right now."

"You're lying," Gabe said, growing in confidence. He was still lying on the street, defenseless, but he was sure the man wouldn't kill him. "You want me to live," he said. "I owe him money, that's right. Your lord wants me to pay, I can't do that if I'm dead, can I?"

"Gabe, Gabe," the man sighed. He bent down and ripped out the knife of Gabe's leg - earning him a painful scream- and pressed the knife to the wounded man's throat. Gabe's breath hitched. "Have you not learned a thing?" the man asked. Gabe's pulse was quickening.

"Wha-what do you-"

"What I mean? Well Gabe, isn't that clear. I'm fully aware that you won't be able to pay if you're dead, but see, that's just a small obstacle. You still have a family, have you not? And I dare say that I have already mentioned them in our earlier, ah, conversations." He smiled.

Gabe was not a fool, he knew that unless a miracle happened right then and there, he would soon be dead. Unless...

"You're bluffing," he said, triumph shining in his greedy eyes. "You ain't gonna kill me 'cus you're bluffing."

The young man pressed the knife harder to Gabe's throat, small droplets of blood were set free. Suddenly he took away the knife.

The pressure disappeared and Gabe gave a sigh of release. His hand shivered when he took hold of his shirtsleeves. Pain was still throbbing through his body, and the ground swayed under his feet when he stood up. But he would live, he knew it.

* * *

A sudden movement to his left was the only warning he got before he was stabbed in the back. He gave a howl of misery, and fell once again to the street. Dust covered his eyesight for a short moment. The young man bent down and released the hood.

Ink black hair fell down in the face of a handsome teenager. The man - no the teen cupped Gabe's head gently, not a single move betraying the violence he had showed only a few minutes ago.

"Look me in the eyes," the teen whispered. "Look me in the eyes and say again that I'm bluffing."

The teen directed Gabe's head so they faced each other. The teens eyes were serious. They didn't move and they didn't flinch. Nothing told Gabe that he had ever stood a chance against this human.

"Don't you see," the teen said softly, releasing his hand from Gabe's cheek. "There was never a chance for you, and I can only hope that your wife and son is smarter than you were tonight."

The teen unsheathed a second knife that's been hidden under his black jacket.

* * *

Gabe looked the teen in the eyes when he got closer to strike, and he hoped for a flicker of something. Hesitation, fear. Some kind of emotion. He saw nothing.

The teen fell to his knees and held the knife in a firm and steady grip. The silver blade glinted in the faint light of the street lights.

The last thing Gave saw before the cold blade dedicated him its last touch was the teens eyes.

They were black, black like the soul of the devil himself.


	2. A Small Push Can Do Wonders

Percy grinned at his best friend over his nearly empty coffee mug. Leo had come to Percy's rescue in the belief that they would get drunk together and as he had put it through the phone "Drown our sorrows in a bottle of wine."

At his words Percy had chuckled and pointed out that they were underage and that it was early morning.

"Way to kill the mood," Leo had muttered, but he had come anyway.

* * *

Now they were seated in a crowded Starbucks - the world famous coffee shop with

"All kind of sweet biscuits to devour," Leo said and mimicked the flirtatious voice of the girl behind the desk. Percy smiled and was happy that the decision to call Leo had been the right thing to do. Okay, maybe he hadn't got the chance to get drunk, but Leo could be understanding, and he had a sixth sense telling him when something wasn't right.

"So Percy man, why am I here?" Leo asked and blocked Percy's outstretched arm with a grin. Percy pouted when he couldn't reach his cup over the table.

"C'mon man, I need the energy. Don't be such an ass," he whined.

Leo raised his eyebrow and looked meaningly at the four empty cups.

"Yeah Percy, 'cus with half of Starbucks coffee in your system you won't get hype after lunch. And don't come crying on my shoulder when you're having your coffee hangover tomorrow."

"That's not-"

"And in a few years," Leo continued, completely ignoring Percy's attempt to speak up for himself, "I won't be there for you. Just imagine the miserable situation you will be in, no money, no place to live and worst of all..." He waved his hands like a conductor. "You'll be without me, the MacShizzle! No Team Leo equals no fun!"

"Done with your speech?" Percy said sarcastically. "And losing my member ship of the 'Team Leo club'" he did quoting marks with his fingers. "I think I'll manage."

"Aww man, you're hurting my feelings," Leo said in mock hurt and placed his hand to his chest where his heart was. Then he lowered his arm and put on a serious face. "But you're avoiding my question. Why did you drag me to Starbucks before lunch on a Saturday? I guess it's not to enjoy my fabulous company."

Percy fiddled with the sleeves of his blue jacket. His otherwise sea-green eyes were clouded and his mouth was set in a thin line.

"Hey," Leo suddenly said in a suspicious voice. "This isn't about that girl, right? It better not be about her, she doesn't deserve you Perce, we've been through this several times already."

Percy's sudden attention to the line forming in front of the pay desk and his silence confirmed what Leo had just said.

"C'mon man," Leo said irritably. "You know what she did. She doesn't deserve a good guy like you. I admit that you're not as devilishly handsome as me, but you're still one good-looking dude. You could get much better than that cheating little-"

"But I love her," Percy said miserably and cut off Leo's ramble. "I love her, she's the love of my life" at this Leo rolled his eyes but his friend didn't notice.

"Dude," he said impatiently. "Do you know how many chicks who has said that to me?"

Percy looked at Leo. "Like two?" he guessed.

"No need for the sarcasm mister," Leo said. "But since I'm a good guy, no hard feelings. My point is, maybe she said that she loved you, and maybe you believed it. But now she's crushed your heart so my advice is; move on." He made a waving gesture with his hand.

The two friends sat in silent for a while and listened to the chatter of the other couples in the room.

"I don't know if I can," Percy finally said in a low voice. "I don't know how you managed, no offense," he added hurriedly. "I know that you're happy with Calypso."

Leo intertwined his fingers and looked deep in thought. His hair fell down in his eyes, making it hard to read his expression.

"Between you and me," Leo said. "I've always been a player, you know. I never took a relationship seriously. Calypso made me come down and face the real world."

That Percy knew. Leo had never lasted long with any of the girls he'd been dating. It'd always come to an end, and quickly too.

But when Calypso had entered she had brought a fire into Leo's life, she was all he thought about for several weeks before he got the courage to finally ask her out. Actually, Calypso had approached Percy first, but been rejected and backed off when she found out that Percy was in love with a beautiful blonde girl. Some weeks after the incident Percy had found out that Leo and Calypso were dating.

Percy started to tap his fingers against the plastic surface of the table, replaying the last few weeks events in his head.

_"There's a party coming up soon at Drew's house. You coming?"_

_Percy shook his head in a distracted manner and didn't notice the disappointment flicker over his girlfriend's face._

_"Nah, I've got better things to do than hang out at Drew's."_

_The blonde tried to hide the sarcasm in her next sentence, but didn't succeed. "So I guess you want me to stay home too, hanging out with you instead?"_

_"Would you do that?" Percy asked incredulously and looked up from what he was currently doing. "That would be great."_

_The blonde stood up, and now the anger was clear in her voice. "You're so stupid sometimes Percy!" she shouted before she stomped off and slammed the door behind her._

_"What did I do now?" Percy mumbled to himself.*_

Stupid, I was so stupid, Percy thought and mentally beat himself up. It's all so clear now.

_*Percy had eventually let himself be persuaded into going to the party._

_He had entered the main doors with his girlfriend, dressed in a loose dark green shirt and plain blue jeans. His girlfriend shot him an angry look when she saw his outfit. She was dressed in a tight gray dress with small braids hanging down her sleeves and fake diamonds sparkling in her ears._

_Pretty soon Percy realized that the party was one of those parties where the people being there dressed after the code "as little clothes as possible" and basically the people there only tried to get inside your pants - taken or not didn't matter._

_Parties like this one had been something Percy had always tried to avoid, knowing that they didn't bring anything but trouble._

_But nevertheless, here he was. And when he looked at his beautiful girlfriend dance his worries faded into the back of his mind. He was here for her, because he loved her and he wanted to make her happy._

* * *

_The music thundered and the fast beat made Percy's chest vibrate like a bass guitar. The heat was overwhelming and he felt he needed a break._

_"I'll be out there!" he said to his girlfriend and pointed towards the pool area. He had to scream to be heard over the loud music and the voices of the teens that were dancing in the room._

_His girlfriend nodded and gave him a small smile._

_"Get me a glass of water on the way back, will you?" she shouted at him when he struggled towards the door. Percy raised his hand to show her that he'd heard and continued forward._

_Outside the music could still be heard but it wasn't as intense as it had been inside the room. The flowing water in the pool made Percy calm down from the frenzy that's been hovering over the crowd inside._

_On his way back he passed the dancing teens, and instead of going directly back onto the dance floor, he entered_  the kitchen to get a glass of water for his girlfriend. He opene _d one of the counters, trying to find a glass._

_Suddenly he heard a giggle and a hushed sound. "_

_"Shh, yes. Mm, that's feels so good."_

_Percy froze and turned around. In the doorway a blonde stood with her arms around a tall guy._

_Discreetly, Percy tried to exit the other way, but froze once again when he heard a mentioning of his name._

_"Percy? No, don't worry about him. He doesn't need to know." The girl giggled again and pressed her body against the guy._

_The glass slipped from Percy's hand._

_The couple whirled around and saw Percy stand there._

_"Annabeth?" Percy whispered in disbelief._

"Annabeth," Percy whispered again. "It was all my fault Leo. Don't you see. If I'd never been such an ass towards her-"

"Shut up!" Leo said in a furious voice. He leaned forward on his elbows and looked Percy straight in the eyes. "Listen Percy, this wasn't your fault, and I won't tell you again. It was not your fault. Annabeth cheated on you, and God knows how long she's been doing it. If you refuse to see it, I can't help you, and if that's so, there's no need for you calling me over. I won't be the poor buddy you can pour out all of your sorrows to. Deal with it Perce!"

Maybe the words were harsh, but deep down Percy knew that what his friend told him was true. He couldn't dwell on Annabeth forever. Eventually, he had to move on.

"I know what you need Percy," Leo said leaning back in his seat.

"What?" Percy asked, not entirely sure if Leo should decide what he needed to heal his broken heart. He didn't like the glint in Leo's eyes either, that meant that something bad was going to happen.

"What you need is a summer fling," Leo said, his eyes determined. "You need to go out, have some fun and stop thinking about her. That's the only way for you to move on, bud. Trust me on that."

Percy wasn't so sure. "I- I don't know."

"Of course you don't. Have you ever had a fling before? No! Trust me, I know this area, this is my specialty. I know this is what you need. And maybe some more coffee," he added with a frown when he saw that Percy had stolen his cup of dark liquid while being busy planning Percy's future love life.

Percy sighed and stood up, just to get away from Leo if only for a moment. Yes, he was a great friend, but sometimes he could get a little to over enthusiastic.

When he was halfway through the room Leo shouted: "That's the spirit!" which made many people look up to see what was going on. "Go get 'em tiger!"

Percy didn't know what his friend meant until he reached the line. In front of him a pretty girl with ginger hair and green eyes stood and waited for her order.

She pointed at Leo, who now bounced in his seat.

"Do you know him?" she asked amused. Percy looked at his friend who was waving to him with a huge grin on his face.

"Never seen him before," he answered. The girl smiled again.

"Rachel," she said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Percy," Percy replied. "So," he said hesitantly, not sure if he should continue the small talk. "are you coming here often?"

"Not much," Rachel said and tried to peek over the desk to see if her order was done soon. "I'm more into eco friendly stuff, you know. But if you're in a hurry you're in a hurry." She shrugged meaningly.

Percy didn't really understand, but he didn't want to act stupidly so he only nodded his head like he agreed.

"Ahem," a voice interrupted their conversation.

"Oh, that should be mine," Rachel said and reached for the brown paper mug that radiated heat. She started to walk away and said when she passed Percy: "See you around?"

Percy nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastic. "Yeah, sure."

When Rachel exited a tap on Percy's shoulder woke him from his thoughts.

"Are you gonna order or what?" the cashier asked.

"Um, yeah," Percy said distractedly. The guy behind the desk was maybe the same age as him - around nineteen - and he had dark hair and chocolate brown eyes.

"Excuse me, what?" Percy asked when he realized the guy had asked him a question. "What did you say?"

The guy rolled his eyes and repeated his question. "What do you want?"

To be honest, Percy had no idea what he'd come to order, so he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Um, chocolate."

"Really?" the guy asked surprised.

"Yeah?"

"No nothing, I just figured you was the coffee type."

"Well you thought wrong, didn't you?" Percy didn't really know where he got his sudden irritation from. "Why would you think that anyway?"

"Well, maybe from the many cups of coffee you've ordered," the guy said and waved his hand in the direction of Percy and Leo's table.

"Oh," was all Percy managed, slightly embarrassed.

The guy started to make the chocolate and asked over his shoulder: "The girl you spoke to, is she your girlfriend?"

"What? No!"

"Oh, okay. And the guy at your table?"

Percy choked. "You think Leo is my boyfriend?!"

The cashier shrugged apologetically. "It looked like you kissed," he explained, which made Percy start coughing again. "When he leaned forward I mean."

Percy's cheeks were burning red. "We weren't kissing," he muttered. "Leo's my best friend and we talked. Just talked."

The guy removed the cup under the coffee machine. "Girls?" he asked.

"No," Percy answered quickly, still red from embarrassment.

"Girls," the guy confirmed. He held the filled cup to Percy and said: "That'll be four dollars."

Percy fumbled with the cash and took the cup full of rich dark liquid.

"Just so you know, you're really really red."

Percy blushed an even deeper shade by that mention, but the cashier wasn't done. "I bet you're red all over the place," he said with a small grin and waved his hand over his own body to support his words. Percy decided it was time to play along.

"Why don't you check," he said sweetly before he left. He noticed with satisfaction that the cashier became even redder than him.

He walked back to Leo quite quickly.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Leo asked excitedly when Percy finally got seated by the small table again. "Was the ginger girl hot? She looked hot."

"What? Yeah, I guess."

It wasn't Rachel Percy was thinking about. It was the guy behind the desk. He glanced to his left and saw the guy again, now taking an order from a stressed mother with two small children. He blushed when he remembered the conversation they'd had and hoped Leo didn't notice.

"Or was it that dude over there?" Leo said which brought Percy abruptly back to his current company. Leo pointedly looked at him, and then raised a victory fist. "My plan works! A summer fling! What did I tell you Perce? What did I tell you?"

Percy didn't answer and he averted his eyes when the cashier looked his way. Nearly the whole Starbuck's looked their way because Leo was doing whooping sounds and kept saying in a loud voice: " Who's da boss? Leo is da boss! Who's Mr Love Doctor? Right here babes!"

"Come Leo, let's leave," Percy mumbled and poked at Leo to make him move. "Let's go."

"Yeah yeah Mr. No-fun, I'm coming," Leo whined. He sounded like a three year old. The two friends started to move, and Percy ignored Leo when he nudged him with his elbow.

"The chocolate man is looking your way Romeo," he whispered, loud enough for everybody in the shop to hear. Percy walked faster.

When they passed the desk Percy nearly ran, and was dragging an unwilling Leo after himself.

Leo walked in slow-motion. Soon he'll be outrun by a snail, Percy thought sourly.

When they were nearly out through the doors Leo brushed his hand over the desk and took hold of the edges. "Do not fear my beloved!" he wailed. "I shall return!" He bowed to the shocked coffee drinking couples like he was receiving a round of applause.

"Leo!" Percy hissed, careful not to look at the laughing people. "Stop talk to the building! Come now!"

"His name is Percy!" Leo shouted before he was dragged out of the shop by his friend.

* * *

"What was that?" Percy asked furiously when they were walking down the street, a long way from Starbucks hearing range.

"That," Leo said in a superior voice, "was my good deed of the year. You'll thank me in the future."

Percy stopped dead. "What did you do?" he said, his voice rising. "You left something on that desk, didn't you?! What did you leave?!"

Leo frowned. "Man, don't be like that. You know I only want your best. Most of the time," he added when he noticed Percy's raised eyebrow.

"Leo," Percy warned.

"Okay man, Jesus. Everybody could tell you and chocolate man over there was totally checking each other out. I only gave it a little push, you know, jumping from base 1; What's your name? - to I don't know; Here's my number?"

Percy took a deep breath. "How do you even know that I'm into dudes?"

Leo flinched. "Calypso might've told me," he mumbled.

Percy bowed his neck and moved his lips as if he was asking the gods: Why me?

"You gave him my number?" he said calmly.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Leo started to have second thoughts.

"Let's not do anything rash," he said and laughed weakly. Percy stared him down.

Leo looked down the street. It wasn't many people out. He did the smart thing.

He ran.

"He told me his name was Nico!" he yelled when he ran down the street and pulled up his pants that was slowly gliding down.

"You're so dead," Percy muttered before he took off after Leo.

But deep down, he felt a tingling sensation. It was hope he realized. He hoped that the guy - Nico apparently - would call. Though, it didn't change the fact that Leo soon would meet his fate.

It would be hard to explain the sudden disappearance of Leo to Calypso.


	3. Dial Tones

In Percy's dream he stood in front of a shadow. The shadow was his step-father, Gabe, whose disappearance the last few weeks had been one of the best periods of Percy's life.

Shadow-Gabe stepped forward with a heavy smell following him. I'm the dream Percy was frozen in fear, and not able to move an inch.

Shadow-Gabe raised his fist and let it fall. Percy crumbled to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Let it stop, please God, just let it stop," Percy whispered through a cloud of pain. Shadow-Gabe took a step forward and towered over the fallen boy.

"Do not abuse the name of the Lord," he boomed before once again let his hand fall.

Percy woke with a silent scream etched on his lips. He was covered in sweat and his sheets were in a messy pile at the floor.

Disoriented he searched for the source that had woken him up. Still trying to shake of the uncomfortable feeling he'd gotten from his nightmare he reached for his beeping phone.

"It better be something important," Percy muttered when he saw Leo's name pop up on the screen. He answered the call.

"What do you want?"

"Gee, glad to see you too," a way to happy voice replied.

Percy sat up in his bed and forced his eyelids apart. He rubbed his eyes, and then groaned.

"Do you have any idea what the time is?" he asked Leo. "Maybe you're inhuman, that doesn't mean you can call normal people three in the morning."

So maybe he sounded a bit whiny, but Percy thought he had the right to whine in his own home. Especially after he'd been woken up by a phone call for apparently no reason.

"Jesus Perce. I just wanted to know if you were home." Percy could imagine Leo rolling his eyes.

"Don't abuse the name of the lord," Percy answered automatically, his dream still fresh in his memory.

Leo only snorted. "Since when did you get religious."

Percy shrugged, but then realized that Leo couldn't see it. "Dunno," he said. "I guess Gabe ranting about God and our lord this and that is starting to rub off on me." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Not sure if that's something I want."

Leo was silent, and when he spoke again his voice was low. "Any news about his disappearance? I mean, dude, it's not normal to just vanish from the surface, not even for Gabe."

"I don't know Leo. Bet he's at some club gambling all of our money." Percy sighed. "But I'm asking you again; Why are you wondering if I were home? You've never been this weird before. Normal people," he said with emphasis on normal, "sleep at this time, and I count myself as normal."

Percy could nearly feel Leo's grin through the phone.

"Unless they are engaged in other activities," he said smugly.

Suddenly Percy was wide awake. "Hey! You mean like... that?,"

"Yes, Perce, I mean activities that keep you up all night. Usually involves two people, though it can of course participate more and-"

"Whoa, that's enough, thank you very much," Percy said not wanting to hear more. "But I still don't get it. Why would I-"

"Want a clue stupid?"Leo asked. "I'm wriggling my eyebrows and thinking of a cup of warm and hot - yes, very hot indeed - chocolate."

Percy blushed furiously. "You think we were having-"

"Why yes, I did leave your number to Mr. Starbucks so I expect some sort of reaction."

Percy groaned once again. "So you only wanted to know if I'd gotten laid yet with a stranger you gave my number to this freaking morning?! The answer to that is NO!"

"Man, don't be so touchy, I was just wonder-"

Percy hung up.

He fell back on his bed and threw his phone - after he'd carefully turned it off - at his desk.

"Stupid Leo acting like a stupid ass," he muttered. "Stupid call. Stupid chocolate."

Percy wasn't sure if he was able to go to sleep again, his mind was all over the place. But he was pleasantly surprised when his eyes were closing slowly. Cuddled up to his pillow, he finally managed to fall asleep once more.

Gabe didn't haunt his dreams anymore that night, instead he dreamed of a boy with warm brown eyes stroking his own black hair with gentle hands.

* * *

"Slept well?" Percy's mother - Sally - asked when he entered the kitchen with messy hair and still dressed in pajama bottoms the next morning.

"Yeah," Percy grunted like a caveman and tried to open one of the kitchen counters in his hunt for a cup.

Sally didn't mind. She knew that after a cup of coffee her son would come alive again.

One cup of coffee later Percy had got himself into a pair of jeans and his favorite blue sweater and was sitting on his bed. His hair, though, was still a total mess not even a comb could tame before lunch time.

Percy picked up his phone from his desk and turned it on. On the screen he saw that he'd gotten two missed calls from Leo and three text messages.

03:24

Perce, why you hung up on me?

03:48

Dude, pwease dont ignore. I'm your best buddy, you know you can't live without Mr. McShizzle

04:15

Man, you're one evil piece of shit. This just proves my point that you need to get laid ASAP

Percy sighed. Just when he was going to turn the phone off it gave a small ping.

One new text message, the screen read. Unidentified number.

10:07

Hi, Percy right? Yeah, you're friend - short babbling Latino, no? - gave me your number yesterday so I thought, why not give it a shot? I won't intrude in your life if you don't want to, of course, you seemed kind of upset when you left yesterday.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Nico aka

Chocolate man ;)

Percy stared at the screen in stunned silence. This random guy had actually taken his time dedicating a message to him, and that was kind of sweet, Percy had to admit. He scrunched the bedsheets in his hand.

What did he want? He wasn't over Annabeth yet. But at the same time he felt that maybe now was the time. The time to finally move on, or at least try to. Leo was right, he still had a life, and spending his days in a depressed bubble wasn't something Percy wanted.

Hi, Percy wrote, but then hesitated. Was this really the right thing to do? He didn't want to feel like he used the guy to move on. He couldn't just jump on the first new interested person to forget his pain.

Percy looked down at the faintly glowing screen. The letters he'd just written was floating in the air. He deleted them.

Percy had never been any good with words. But to express himself, that was something he knew how to do. He stood up, and peered out his small window, wondering if he was going to regret his decision. There was no going back after this.

He turned his back to the street outside and looked at the screen once again. With his breath in his throat he pressed call.

Beep...

_Is this the right decision? Maybe I should've waited..._

Beep...

_What is he going to say? If he's going to pick up at all..._

Beep...

_Three signals, is this something bad? Maybe I'm just going to hang up now._

Bee-

"Hello."

Percy's courage disappeared completely when he recognized the dark voice of the cashier at Starbucks.

"Um..."

"Who am I talking to?" The dark voice was now slightly annoyed. "Who is this?"

Percy coughed.

"Is this some kind of joke?" the now clearly irritated voice said. "It's not very funny, I'd really like to know who I'm speak-"

Click...

Percy hung up.

He threw the phone on his desk and toppled over on his messy bed.

"What did I do?" he groaned while nervously stroking his hair. "What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?"

Leo, Percy thought desperately. He'll know what to do. I need to call Leo.

He jumped off his bed and didn't hesitate to answer when the phone rang.

"Leo," he moaned. "I just called him and it was terrible! I couldn't say anything and then I hung up! What should I do?!" Percy waited for Leo's answer, and to say he was surprised when he instead heard a rich and smooth voice was an understatement.

"Um, it's Nico."

Percy's inside crumbled to pieces with embarrassment.

"Shit," he whispered with horror. "Oh shit shit shit."

"I can call another time if you want to," Nico said.

Percy felt like kicking himself into the next state.

"So," Nico started. "It was you who called me a few minutes ago?"

Percy rested his forehead against the wall. "Yes," he mumbled in a nearly audible voice.

"I figured that much after you hung up." Nico sounded slightly amused. "Guess my text didn't work out the way I wanted it to."

"I'm not very good with words," Percy mumbled.

Nico chuckled. "Not with phone calls either it seems."

Definitely not, Percy agreed in his mind, still mind-slapping himself to China.

"So, are you free next Friday?"

"Wha-what?" Percy couldn't figure out what was going on. Had Nico just asked that? Clearly his mind was playing a trick in him.

Nico repeated his question.

"You seriously still want to meet me?" Percy asked not believing what he was hearing. He had stopped banging his head against the wall and was now pacing back and forth.

"Yeah," Nico said.

"And you was really asking if I'm free next Friday."

"Not really asking..." Percy's heart dropped, only to fly to Mars when he heard Nico's next words. "More like I demand to see you on Friday."

Percy stopped pacing. "It's a date," he said enthusiastically.

"Really?"

"No- no. Not like that. Date as in an appointment. Not as in date date. Date as in appointment." Percy was even confusing himself in his urgency to explain his poor choice of words.

"Sure babe," Nico chuckled. "Friday it is." He hung up.

Percy stared at the screen.

"This is a dream," he mumbled. "And soon I'm going to wake up and realize this was all just a dream."

He stumbled down on his bed, which was now so messed up it looked like it had never been made. A goofy smile played on Percy's lips when he searched for Leo among his contacts on his phone and pressed call.

Percy couldn't wait for Friday to arrive.


	4. If

"What are you saying?"

Percy stood in the kitchen with his phone to his ear and Leo on the line. He had hoped that the news he was going to tell Leo wouldn't upset him so much. Clearly he had been wrong, but one could still have hopes. He grimaced and repeated himself.

"I can't come tonight, I'm sorry."

"Dude, we had a deal," Leo whined. "C'mon man. Friday's night out. That is what we agreed on. What could possibly be more important than trying to rescue the little social life you've left? Emphasis on  _trying_ , I don't even know if a miracle performed by the fabulous McShizzle is able to save you now."

The line went silent, and Percy rubbed the tips of his fingers against his temples in an attempt to make the dull headache he had gotten earlier that morning go away.

"Leo, I swear this is important. I wouldn't ask you to cancel if it wasn't."

There was only silence, but when Percy thought the line had died he heard a smug voice say: "And what could possibly be more important than me? Maybe my little Percy friend finally decided to go out with strangers and get laid. Huh, am I right. Don't answer that, by the way, "Leo added. "Of course I'm right. When am I not?"

Percy grinned with closed eyes. And as if Leo had suddenly gained a telepathic sense he whooped and said: "I knew it! Oh man, wait 'til Calypso hear this. And you Perce, finally transforming into a man!" He fake sobbed. "My child, growing up so fast. It feels like it was only yesterday we sat a lonely table on the moon, miserable in the knowledge that you hadn't gotten any fun in nearly three months. Look at you now. My boy, grown into a man." Leo sniffed through the phone.

Percy laughed. "You sound just like Mom when I told her I was going out tonight." Just then the door to Percy's room popped open.

"Did I hear my name?"

Leo's excited voice could soon enough be heard. "Is it you Mom? Dude, put me on speaker phone. I need to make a good impression so I'll never run out of those delicious cookies."

"You have already met her, several times, "Percy pointed out, but did as he said anyway.

"Hello dear."

"Hey, Mrs. Jackson, what's up?"

Percy's mother looked at her son with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'm fine thank you. And how many times must I tell you to call me Sally, Leo."

"Well, I suppose I can start now since you have said that to me every time I've been over."

Sally laughed, and then turned to Percy. "Darling, there's a young man in the hallway. I believe he's here to see you."

Percy nearly dropped his phone. "He's here!"

"Who's here," Leo asked. Then realization hit him. "Oh, alright. I get it. Good luck Perce." The last thing that could be heard was the faint clicking noise and Leo's laugh when he hung up.

* * *

The day had raced on in a dreamlike haze. Percy could barely recall what he'd said or how he'd acted. But obviously, it must have been acceptable since Nico had agreed on seeing Percy again the next week.

Exhausted, Percy threw his jacket on his bed and instantly followed. He let out a sigh he didn't know he'd been keeping the whole day. Nevertheless for his anxieties, this had been a great day.

Suddenly the door bell rang and Percy wondered tiredly if perhaps Nico was back again. Maybe he'd forgotten something, or he just wanted to spend even more time with Percy. At that thought Percy smiled and arose from his bed.

"Can you open the door honey?"

"Already on my way!" Percy answered his mother. He pressed down the handle and started to push the door open, when it jerked away from his grip. "Hey?! What are you -" A fist, emerging from nowhere cut him off and pain spread as he fell to the floor.

"Percy?"

Percy heard his mother's strained voice. He heaved himself up on his elbows and ignored the throbbing sensation in his head. "Go back!" he shouted. Before he managed to say anything more a large hand covered his mouth. He gagged, but couldn't do anything about it.

"You stay silent kid. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, right?" a rough voice whispered. Frantically Percy shook his head. "That's a good boy."

Foreigner hands pulled back his arms and dragged him into the apartment and into the kitchen. On a chair his mother sat with a gun aimed at her head.

"Percy!" she screamed when she saw him. She turned around and shouted at her captor: "What have you done to him! We don't know you people, get out!"

The man holding the gun only waved it dismissively and pushed her down on the chair again.

"Who you know doesn't matter," a third man said coldly, emerging behind Percy's back . "Your husband on the other hand..." The man chuckled.

Sally's eyes widened, and she looked frightened at the man. "I don't have any business in my husband's affairs," she said in a shaky voice. "If he -"

"Oh yes. If. That's a quite wonderful word, isn't it? But let's say  _if_ we don't get the money he owes us things will get nasty. And  _if_ things say... started to go a little crazy, then I can't stand responsible for the consequences." The man chuckled darkly and finally stepped into Percy's view.

The man was surprisingly young, with white-blond hair and a handsome face. The only thing that destroyed the image of a boy-next-door look was the cruel look in his eyes .

"Octavian," the man holding Sally at gunpoint warned. "We're running out of time."

The leader - Octavian - only shrugged. "You heard my friend Ethan over there," he told Sally. "Either you get us the money, or you die." He paused. "All of you," he added with a meaning look at Percy. "Is this your son?" he asked relaxed. "Quite a ladies-man, no? Well, I suppose he won't look so pretty with half of his nose gone."

Octavian unsheathed a small knife. At Percy's frightened look he said: "Yeah, it's kind of primitive. But you would be surprised of how well it works." Once again he turned to Sally. "So, do we have a deal?"

* * *

The three men had left only an hour ago, but Percy could still feel their presence linger in the very air he breathed.

"We'll have to call the police," was the first thing he said to his mother when the three men had left. Sally avoided her son's gaze and instead put all of her focus into putting ice on his bruised face where he'd been hit. "Mom, we need to -"

"No," Sally said silently. "We can't tell anyone."

"But why?" Percy exclaimed frustrated, but winced when it made his bruises throb.

"Because," Sally said in a low voice, "they'll know. And the police will do nothing about it. I know this organization. Gabe has been spending their money and now they come to us. They won't stop."

Percy stood up and paced the floor. "But we need to do  _something!_ " he said.

"We will," Sally said with defeat. "We'll get the money. Only then will they leave us alone."

Percy stopped in his tracks. "But we can't just - " he started furiously, but was cut off.

"We can, and we will," his mother said. "There's no further discussion. We'll get the money, and we will not under any circumstances involve the police or anyone else. Do you understand me?"

Percy didn't want to believe his ears. How could they just give up? And even if they did get the money, how could they be sure they were to be left alone after that?

"I -" he said reluctantly. "I understand."

Sally nodded and brushed her fingers softly over her son's bruises. "Good," she said. "Now, this is what we must do."


	5. Déjà Vu At Its Finest

"What do you want?" Nico shouted over the heads of a bunch of screaming toddlers. Percy grinned and inclined his head slightly to the left, showing that he couldn't hear the question. Nico rolled his eyes and gesticulated for his boyfriend to come stand next to him in the growing line behind the checkout at Starbucks.

"To drink," Nico repeated when Percy was within hearing distance. "Coffee, juice? What do you want?"

Instead of answering directly, Percy observed the Italian behind the counter. His brown hair that so stylishly fell and covered his eyes so often was tied back. He wore a green apron over a clean and simple black shirt, and Percy admired the way his muscles - barely visible under his clothes - worked with such skill even during the simplest of tasks.

"Chocolate seems like a good option," he finally said, and grinned at the memory that had brought them together. Nico smiled too, and started to prepare the drink. "Soo..." Percy started, resting his chin in his palm. "What have you done lately? I haven't seen you much."

For a moment Nico stiffened, but he had his back to Percy's face so he wasn't sure.

"Oh, nothing fun really," Nico answered while he took out a cup from behind the counter. "Remember I told you I had to help my father with some stuff? Family business, you know. That's what I've been doing the last couple of weeks." He shrugged. "Nothing important."

"Oh," Percy replied. He was a little surprised. When he had called Nico two weeks earlier asking for they to meet Nico had sounded frantic, and in a hurry. He had quickly replied that no, they couldn't see each other, and no, everything was fine.

At the time, Percy had to admit, he had been a little suspicious. Sure, Nico had come back after the time he had promised, and they had continued dating. Everything  _was_  fine. Yet, Percy couldn't shake off the feeling that Nico had lied to him, or made up excuses for his real whereabouts. And if it was something Percy was sick of, it was lies.

"Your dad," Percy repeated, grasping for a memory that was not really there. He had a faint picture of Nico's father from a brief mentioning of him early on. "Lawyer, right?"

"Yeah," Nico replied, and at the same time turning around and handing over a cup of steaming cocoa. Percy fumbled with his wallet, but stopped what he was doing when Nico let out a low chuckle. "You don't have to pay Perce. This one's on the house." He then pressed the warm cup into Percy's right hand, thus effectively making him unable to continue his search for money.

"You're really allowed to do that?" Percy frowned. Nico only rolled his eyes.

"No, not really. But I don't think they will fire me for a drink worth three bucks. Anyway," Nico smiled again. "It's only this once, right?"

"Yeah," Percy said. He then stepped aside for the family behind him in the line and thought about all of the other times Nico had given him coffee that apparently had been "on the house". It had become a kind of tradition of theirs.

Nico had a busy schedule, Percy knew. Many times had their weekly plans been interrupted by sudden demands his father had made.

In Percy's eyes, the father of his boyfriend was starting to get in a bad light. Not Gabe-bad. More like using his son for his own personal goals. Percy had quickly noted the change of moods Nico would have after one of those weekends. The last only being the latest in a row of earlier incidents. He knew that being a lawyer was hard, and Nico had himself told him that his job at Starbucks was more of a break from his "real" job. Nico had stated this on an early stage in their relationship, and at the time Percy had been fine with it. But now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Every time Nico had been called in on the account of his father - a couple of days in Miami with a new client; a business trip to San Francisco; a dinner with the local police officers - he had been in such a hurry. On perhaps not all, but many of these occasions Nico seemed to get agitated and easily irritated. Percy had in the beginning tried to sooth his boyfriend, but quickly found out that it did not help much. And when he then came back he seemed distracted. Questions went unanswered, and several times Percy found his boyfriend staring at a single spot for a big amount of time. He grew worried, as to be expected, and had asked about the different trips Nico had made. He wasn't a therapist, but he thought that it would be good to talk about his problems, or what it was that troubled him.

The replies he had received had in Percy's ears sounded like feeble excuses. Their conversations quickly turned into a monologue with Percy contributing to the most of the talking. In the end, Percy gave up trying to coax his boyfriend into confessing what was wrong. It became a subject they avoided as much as they could, however, Percy could never let it go completely.

Percy sat down at one of the tables in the far corner at the coffee shop and thought about the turn his life has taken. A month earlier he'd been sitting here, in exactly the same place contemplating what to do with his life. Things hadn't gotten especially clearer, however, he now had something to work for, something to achieve.

Then that day had come.

Percy looked at Nico again, and suddenly tensed. At the desk a familiar man stood. A mane of white-blond hair framed a pale face.

The blood drained from Percy's face as he watched Octavian talk to Nico.

What was he doing here?! During the weeks since Octavian and his men had first "visited" Percy and his mom they had regularly checked in with them to see how they were faring. The visits had often been accompanied by threats, and occasionally a couple of bruises. The first time it had happened Percy hadn't thought about trying to hide his bruises, and Nico had noticed them. Only thanks to Percy's quick lie that he fell down the stairs the day before rescued him from telling his boyfriend the truth. After that, he'd grown more careful.

To see Octavian at such a normal place made Percy's brain swirl with emotions. And then a thought hit him. What if this organization were threatening Nico too? There was no other explanation to Octavian meeting up with Nico otherwise. But to do it in such a public place… Perhaps they were only friends, and Nico didn't know about the dark side Octavian had. However, Percy did not think so. From his experience with Octavian, the closest he was to any human being was his team, and still Percy was under the impression that they didn't like him much either, and that they only took orders from him because they had to.

Perhaps,  _if_  Nico was involved with this mysterious organization that was the reason why he so often was irritated. Maybe he was seeing them on the weekends when he had said he was meeting clients. Maybe he had exactly the same problem as Percy himself! It would explain so much, however, Percy couldn't be sure. If he was wrong he would have to explain himself, and if his mother was right about the organization, they too would hear about him trying to figure out who they really are, which would end badly.

Octavian left without as much as a glance on Percy, and Nico turned around hastily. Percy thought he looked grim. What their conversation had contained Percy didn't know, but he intended to find out.

As Nico eyed him curiously from behind the desk, he took a small sip of his drink, and then smiled at his boyfriend.

_There would be no more lies._

* * *

"So," Percy said. They were on their way home from Nico's work. Since Percy didn't work, he could be home already, but he liked to sit at the café and take it easy. Nico often said that Percy should go out with his friends and have some fun, do stuff. Percy always said no. "Besides, don't you count as stuff?" he always asked and laughed at Nico's red face, and some of the words he would mutter in Italian.

So there he sat, day after day, the exception being when he was with his mother at her job. They had a long way to go before they would be able to pay off the debt.

However, now Percy would find out if Nico too was in the same situation. His voice held nothing of the urgency his mind was in when he calmly said: "One of your customers today – a white-blond guy, pretty young – is he here often?"

Nico tensed, and if Percy hadn't gotten to know him so well these past weeks he wouldn't have noticed. "Thinking of breaking up with me Perce," he said jokingly, however, Percy saw him glancing at him sideways as if that didn't really worry him. But what  _did_  worry him? What is your secret Nico?

"Wouldn't think about it," Percy replied and smiled at him lightly. "It's only that I thought I recognized him, and you two seemed to be pretty close." A blatant lie. It had looked like Nico had wanted to punch Octavian in the face.

Nico snorted, which confirmed Percy's suspicions that they were not friends. "We're not friends," Nico said darkly. "And I'd rather not talk about him. He's tangled up in some bad stuff."

"Like what?"

Nico looked at him weirdly. "Well," he said slowly, and Percy made an impatient noise. "According to some stories I've heard he's into some kind of gangster organization." He hesitated, and then said: "My dad had some connections to them too. He regretted it later on, and decided to leave. The only problem being, they don't let members go that easily." He chuckled and shook his head grimly. "It took all he had to break free, nearly made his lawyer job go down the fast way to hell. But he managed, and now he's free." Nico looked at Percy. "You shouldn't get involved with him Percy, not that I should tell you what to do. Just, be careful around him okay? I'm surprised you even recognized him." A suspicious tone had crept into his voice, and Percy thought it was best to change the subject.

"I'm not stupid," he assured his boyfriend, who at that statement laughed quietly. "I was only curious." It seemed to be enough to make Nico relax again, and he slung an arm around Percy's shoulders.

"Good then," he said as they continued their walk down the street.

The evening was warm, but Percy still shivered. Curiosity was dangerous. Yet, it seemed that he had indeed been right in his suspicions that Nico had had something to do with the organization. But of what he just found out it looked like Nico and his family wasn't involved anymore, so there was no chance for him to tell Nico what a mess he was stuck in. He wanted to, but he couldn't. Even here, with Nico at his side in the middle of the street surrounded by people he couldn't shake off the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching every move he made. And that someone had probably heard every word he and Nico had spoken.

It had been a bet, Percy knew, to risk asking Nico about the organization. It had been a bet, and Percy had lost. The only thing he could do now was to take the consequences and hope he survived them.


	6. When the Boy Becomes a Man

Percy and Nico had separated ways, and Percy walked the dark silent streets, stuck in his own thoughts. He turned a corner, away from the blinking lights signaling the way of the city, and entered an even darker alley. Soon he would be home.

Percy snorted to himself, scaring an alley cat so that it tipped a bin that clattered noisily against the hard ground, spreading a mix of old food, paper and other things Percy didn't dare give too much thought.

He watched the cat slip away in silence, and then shivered slightly as a wind swept through.

Home.

Once it had conjured up a comfortable image, always including his mother with a smile on her face. Now it only meant the place where terror waited for him. That is what his life had become. A living nightmare. The difference this time being that there was no waking up. No relief washing over him when he realized that nothing ever happened. For this was real. It was grim, and hard, and cruel. But it was his reality. It was his, and he would make sure that no one else,  _no one_   _else_ , was dragged inside it. That's the reason why he didn't ask Nico for help. He had considered it, since he had told him that his father had had connections with the organization before. In the end, Percy had decided against it. This was not Nico's burden to bear. To be honest, Percy knew that it wasn't his either. Or his mother. But Fate had apparently chosen them to slave for a dead man they had hated anyway. And that wasn't fair.

Percy balled up his hands into fists out of anger. Playing this game made him furious. But all of that rage was suppressed, neatly tucked away so that nobody would ever notice. It killed him, not being able to show these – these bastards, how he felt. How much he despised them, and how easy the choice would be for him to hurt them, like they had hurt his mother, himself, if he was ever given the chance.

"You should really work on the anger management, boy."

Percy swirled around trying to locate the source of the arrogant, taunting voice. What met his eyes did not make him happy. A young man was walking towards him with precise, feline footsteps. His skin was pale, and he had many scars covering his face. Not that Percy could see them in the moment, the dark hood the man wore laid the upper half of his face in shadow so only the dark grin he flashed Percy could be seen. But Percy knew because he had encountered this man once before. On the night the bastards had come to his home, threatening him and his mother. This was the man that had held his mother at gunpoint.

"Ethan," he acknowledged the other man, his hands still balled up in fists, but for now resting at his sides. He watched every move Ethan made as he removed the hood and showed his face. Since that first terrible day many of the organization's people had come to check the progress he was making in collecting the money to pay off the debt. Mostly it was Octavian who came. Ethan, on the other hand, Percy had not seen since that first time.

He observed the eye-patch, and then settled his own green eyes on Ethan's single brown one.

"What are your business here?" he asked in a strangled voice. Ethan made a disapproving sound.

"Not much for small talk, are we?" he said mockingly. "Well, I don't know if I will tell you if you're this unwelcoming. You attitude, boy," he added. "Does not leave much to imagination."

"Answer me!"

Ethan stalked closer, and Percy resisted his urge to retreat a couple of steps, not wanting to give the other man the upper hand. With a last final step Ethan was so close his breath mingled together with Percy's own. He gulped.

"I will answer you," Ethan whispered. "But are you ready to hear it?" He stepped back, allowing Percy to take a deep breath. What the heck was the meaning of this? He was nearly home, so why had Ethan come to stop him here, and most important; now? In such an open place anyone could see the two of them, and start asking questions. He could just turn, he thought. Go home and forget the devil he had just met.

Just as he was about to act on this thought, Ethan grabbed his arm. Hard.

"If I were you," he said slowly, as if speaking to child, "I would not continue your walk home."

Fear replaced the anger he had felt before.

"Why?" he asked. He tried to turn his head, looking for clues to why this man – his enemy – would give him such cryptic warnings. "My mother," he said, realization dawning upon him. He fought harder to break free. "My mother," he screamed. "What are you doing to her?" He raised his hands to try to pull free himself from Ethan's bone-hard grip. "Let me go!"

Ethan released an arm, and Percy took his opportunity, only to be struck down by the other man's free arm.

The blow made Percy fall to the ground with a loud crunch, and he grimaced in pain as his leg was torn up. Ethan took advantage of the situation, and easily put him in a position making him unable to move, and only breath in small shallow gasps.

"Now you listen to me. You will not go to your home, do your hear me? No matter what, boy. You will turn around and  _leave_." Ethan released Percy, who in turn scrambled up from the ground.

"Why?" He was suspicious. This could be nothing else but a trap. It had to be. But the question being was: should he follow Ethan's advice? Or just ignore it and continue home and check on his mother? Every instinct told him to run home as fast as he could and check on the very last family he had left in this world. But there was something in Ethan's movements, or his frantic voice indicating that this was in fact not one of the organizations cruel jokes. Indicating that this was serious, and that whatever would meet Percy when he got home, was not something he would like to see, or forget for that matter, for a lifetime.

Ethan started to walk away, his back turned and his voice muffled as he said: "Because." He spun around and for an outsider's eyes it looked like he pirouetted. An angel of Death would be a fitting role. "Because," he repeated. "I am not cruel, and you are only a boy." Before it had been an insult. But when Percy heard it now it held a deeper meaning. Whatever would greet him would change him. Afterwards he would not be the boy he was before. He would be a man marred by the scars of war, death and destruction. When Ethan disappeared out of sight after he turned a corner, Percy did not hesitate. He sprinted home, and he didn't look back.

He missed the moment Ethan walked back again, staring after the silhouette disappearing in the distance. He clenched his fists, whispering in a shattered voice: "Just a boy."


	7. A/N - Thank You For Your Patience

Hi, all of you guys who have favourited and followed this story. I will begin with saying that I am very sorry that I have been keeping you waiting for so long since the previous update, and unfortunately this is not a continuation of the story, but a note to you all. For the time being this will be on an official hiatus, but I will try to come back with a new chapter sometimes at the end of this year, or the beginning of 2019. School right now is putting me in a pretty difficult tough spot. I'm in my last year of high school and really feel the need to for the time being concentrate on my studies, which naturally makes me neglect the time I can spend writing.

I'm very sorry to have kept you all waiting for so long, and now when you get a notification it's just for you to read this. I will try really hard to upload as soon as possible. In the meantime I can only thank you all for being patient with me, and for following this story and leaving so very motivating reviews. It always makes me happy to see that you haven't given up on me.

Thank you all!

/Nat

_P.S. This A/N will be deleted when the next chapter gets uploaded. D.S_


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